Grand Prize Winner, 2021 Mark Twain Award from Chanticleer International Book Awards“Arnold Falls has the feel of an instant classic.” —BlueInk“Delightful…incredibly funny.” —Kirkus Reviews
Arnold Falls is a small town in upstate New York filled with people who went a little further north than they planned: eccentrics, rat-race refugees, artists, self-promoters, self-medicators, the kind and … planned: eccentrics, rat-race refugees, artists, self-promoters, self-medicators, the kind and the cranky, the brilliant and the dim, the delightful and those who should be avoided at all costs.
Jeebie, a voiceover artist, isn’t looking for love. He’s too busy helping his pal, Jenny, become the first female mayor of the town; rescuing Chaplin, a much-loved turkey, from a dastardly diva chef’s Thanksgiving plans; and battling a proposed tire factory by the Hudson River. But Jeebie gets increasingly distracted by Will, the farmer’s market apple seller, whose charms leave him more befuddled by the day.
This comedic novel, which tips its hat to Armistead Maupin and P. G. Wodehouse, is “as funny as it cozy” (BlueInk), threads together a town full of characters, agendas, plots and counter-plots, leaving it up to Jeebie and his pals to restore the right kind of disorder in a town that always does the right thing…after exhausting all other possibilities.
Arnold Fall is a place where friendships, community, and love at least have a fighting chance. “A tale that will make readers want to move to the author’s heartwarming fictional town.” (Kirkus)
Praise for Arnold Falls:
“Arnold Falls has the feel of an instant classic, with shades of Richard Russo and T.C. Boyle but a sweetness and optimism that sets it apart. Charming, delightful, and endless fun, the novel is a considerable achievement from a noteworthy new talent.” (BlueInk Review)
“A visit to Arnold Falls is a smart, funny, effervescent literary escapade well-worth the taking. With Mayberry heart and P’town hipness, this is small-town life at its best. Recommended!” (Chanticleer Book Reviews)
Awards for Arnold Falls:
Grand Prize Winner, Mark Twain Award
2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards
Gold Winner for Humor
2020 Foreword Indies
Silver Medal, Fiction for Adults
2021 Feathered Quill Book Awards
Silver Medal, Fiction for Adults
2020 The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Silver Medal for Fiction: Humor/Comedy
2020 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards
Second Place for Fiction
2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Award
more
Small community with loads of quirk, supporting each other. Timely message for these troubled days
4-4.5stars
This book took me on a unique journey to a lively but seen-better-days small New York State town where most of the characters are heavily invested in each other’s welfare and the common good for their Arnold Falls community. So many quirky, zany characters from a highly social tom turkey called Chaplin, to a 93 year-old waitress with a big secret and even bigger heart. There’s clean romance afoot, thievery, dirty politics in a hotly contested mayoral race and a community at war with land development that promises dire environmental effects, to name a few of the bigger plot threads. And it’s all told in a wonderful, warm and humorous tone, occasionally outright laughable but mostly rendering a quirk to my lips or a smile. The sad parts never dominated and served to bring the characters even closer.
Yes, there is a whole tribe of characters but each one has such a distinct story and they are added gradually, so I had no problem keeping them straight. Jeebee, the quintessential observer at the heart of the tale, gets thrown with gusto into the community campaigns and has his own relationship issues to resolve. Jeebee and his friends are also crazy about music and the many references to songs and lyrics were one aspect that I could take or leave. So many individual highs and lows in the lives of this fictional town’s denizens, but the general impression I was left with: the efforts you make to help others will come back to enrich your life.
Arnold Falls is a paean to friend supporting friend, neighbor helping neighbor, totally on point as a philosophy essential for these troubled times.
Thanks to the author, the Independent Book Publishers Association, and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Arnold Falls
Author: Charlie Suisman
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers:
Stats
Editing: 10/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Content: 10/10
Cover: 10/10
Of the 23 readers:
23 would read another book by this author.
23 thought the cover was good or excellent.
23 felt it was easy to follow.
23 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 8 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 10 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 5 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
23 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
23 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
“I so enjoyed this book and it often did remind me of PG Wodehouse. A very comfy sort of novel you can put on your slippers and curl up by the fire to read.” Male reader, age 70
“It’s the characters that make this novel work so well. Often charismatic, always memorable, they remind me of so many characters I have met over the years.” Female reader, age 65
“The author is spot on in the way he shows how small problems in a small town end up being very big problems to the people living there. Very funny in parts, the author’s ability to bring characters alive is remarkable.” Female reader, age 51
“This books follows the ups and down of a number of characters living in a small community. I thought it was a very entertaining read and could relate to many of the problems the characters faced. Not only is this book charming, it’s also very funny; the authors comic timing is excellent.” Male reader, aged 43
To Sum It Up:
‘A charming story filled with wonderfully charismatic characters. A silver medal winner and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
I saw great reviews for Arnold Falls on book review services like BlueInk Review and Reedsy Discovery and thought I’d give this novel a try. The last few books I read were great but heavy, so a comedic novel sounded just about right. Arnold Falls is a funny book, for sure.
From the publisher: Spend time in the funny, oddball village of Arnold Falls, where larger-than-life characters deal with the smallest of problems. Somehow, it all comes out right in the end. Arnold Falls is a novel that tips its hat to Armistead Maupin and P. G. Wodehouse, creating a world in which food, music, friendship, love, and tending your own garden are connected in surprising ways.
Main character Jeebie is the glue between all the characters. He’s a voice over artist who moved to Arnold Falls with his boyfriend, but the boyfriend quickly departs and leaves Jeebie behind. Jeebie finds himself in a number of community hijinks and misadventures, all amusing.
But the town itself really is the main character. The narration of the novel is brisk and charming. The dialog between the townsfolk is amusing and rapid fire, a bit like a TV comedy show firing on all cylinders ala Parks and Recreation mixed with Northern Exposure. There isn’t a lot of exposition to bog down the whimsical story. Many hilarious tidbits about Arnold Fall’s history is told, like the origin of the quirky holiday Hail Pail Day or the mostly unaltered interior of The Chicken Shack, the longstanding diner and favorite town hangout.
Unfortunately, once the litany of characters are introduced, there isn’t a lot of character descriptions either as the story barrels on. So when many characters are introduced later, only their dialog or actions describe them, but none of their physical characteristics or mannerisms are given. For instance, when Jeebie’s parents meet him and Nelle for dinner at Pumphrey’s, no physical descriptions of the parents are given at all. The only thing said is the mother likes to paint (she’s talented) and the father still thinks he’s an ad exec from the 1950s (but he’s a decent guy). Are they thin or plump? Tall or short? Nervous or confident? Well-dressed or shlubs? Who knows.
This lack of character description is an unfortunate oversight in an otherwise funny and endearing ensemble piece. I’m keeping my eye out for Suisman’s next novel. I’d give this novel 4 out of 5 stars.